Whole Life Gardening

Archive for February, 2009

Late last summer I laid the flagstone path that runs through my front entry flower garden. I want low plants to grow in between these stones, so I purchased two low sedums and some thyme, all Stepables. The thyme is now dormant… at least I hope that it’s dormant. The winter has been a tough [...]

Many of the plants on Poison Ivy Acres have bare feet. The gardens are new, after all, and things haven’t filled in much. The shrubs and perennials are, I think, placed so that they can grow to their natural size and shape, and this means that there is empty space around them. I’m currently shopping [...]

Every Saturday I have two regular features on GardenLine: I begin the program with I Love This Plant/I Hate This Plant, and I start the second hour with Green Thumbs Up/Green Thumbs Down. This morning, they came together nicely and even tied in with the Valentine’s Day holiday. I love it when things spontaneously mesh. [...]

Feeling stressed about the economy? Go work in your garden. There may still be a snow cover where you live, but getting outdoors will make you feel better. Even though it’s February, there are signs that the weather will soon turn and the landscape will be transformed once again. It was unexpectedly, blessedly, 62 degrees [...]

Years ago when I was working as an artist, I had a show of my collages at a local gallery. One of the attendees stood studying the pieces, then turned to me and said, “It must be a lot like cooking.” His comment was spot on. I frequently remember this as I work in the [...]

It snowed again last week and we all complained. More snow?!? It was a heavy, wet snow, and I was glad that the Maffei guys would be coming to plow my driveway. It has been the pattern that a sodden snow is followed by frigid weather, so everything that is melting turns to ice…sigh…it happened [...]

My church recently began a brick walkway fundraiser. The path from the parking lot to the church is being laid with bricks that are engraved with names, dates, or other information that someone feels is important. I ordered two bricks. One says, “Plant a Garden” and the other says “Change Your Mind”. OK, the “Plant [...]